


late night talks (late night tears)

by senkuishigmi



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Crying Senku, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Probably ooc, T rating for language, canonverse, he needs a hug, i just wanted senku to get all his emotions out idk man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:34:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24730885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/senkuishigmi/pseuds/senkuishigmi
Summary: senku is hurting, and gen comforts him.
Relationships: Asagiri Gen/Ishigami Senkuu
Comments: 9
Kudos: 215





	late night talks (late night tears)

It was well past midnight, the crescent moon providing just enough light for Gen to see as he made his way across the clearing which had become the Kingdom of Science. He passed the ramen cart and the shed of minerals where Chrome was snoring, finally stopping in front of the observatory. Only one other person was likely to be awake at this hour, the one person who needed to be resting more than anyone, since his brain was their most powerful tool. Gen had seen Senku shut himself up inside the observatory hours ago, and he hadn't seen him since, so he was fairly certain he was still up there, hunched over some blueprints. Being quite the night owl himself, it was a bit hypocritical, but lately he had taken on the responsibility of dragging Senku to bed when he deemed it was time for the scientist to recharge his battery. He climbed the ladder stealthily, and when he pushed the trap door open above him he was surprised not to find Senku at his desk, nor behind the telescope. The scientist was leaning on the window sill, resting his chin in his hands, seemingly lost in thought.

"Taking a break?" Gen asked, closing the trap door below him and standing up.

"Can't concentrate," Senku replied. He huffed, blowing a loose strand of hair out of his face.

" _You_ can't concentrate? On science? Are you sick or something?" Gen teased. His words were playful, inviting the scientist to make one of his usual smartass remarks, but the lightheartedness vanished from the room when Senku simply shrugged his shoulders, his back still turned.

"Is... something wrong?" Gen asked gently. Senku shrugged a second time, hanging his head. Gen approached the younger boy slowly, bare feet shuffling across the cold floor. "What's on your mind, Senku-chan?"

"Don't worry about it," Senku muttered, "I'm fine, okay? Just go to bed. It's getting late."

"That's what I came to say to you," Gen said, in his usual cheerful voice, "That big brain of yours won't be of any use if you have no energy."

Senku finally turned to look at him with dull eyes. _ He looks exhausted _ _,_ Gen thought. He had never seen him like this, and it was a bit unsettling. "Come on, let's get to bed." He placed a hand on Senku's back, but pulled back abruptly when he felt the younger boy flinch.

"Stop," Senku snapped, shoving Gen lightly, "don't treat me like a kid. I'm fine." He turned his back a second time, leaning on the window sill with crossed arms.

Gen stood in silence, unsure how to react. Senku was acting like a moody teenager. Well, he _was_ just a moody teenager, huh? Gen smirked, nearly laughing at this realization. He was still just a teen himself, but it was easy to forget that in this stone world, where they, with their modern knowledge, both had to step up and act as the adults. Gen leaned forward to rest his elbows on the window sill next to Senku, who now had his head down, resting his chin on his arms.

"You know, bottling up your feelings may seem like the logical thing to do, but in the long run it's only hurting you."

"I'm not wasting time on emotions. I need to focus on work."

"Yeah, because you're getting so much work done right now."

Senku huffed. "I just need a few minutes."

"You know, it would be more efficient-"

"I know what you're doing. Don't pull that mentalist bullshit on me."

Gen chuckled. "You saw right through me."

Senku buried his face in his arms. "Leave me alone. I'll go to bed soon," he said, his voice muffled.

Gen hesitated before speaking again. His voice was soft and sincere this time. "Senku, I'm an expert at reading people, and there's clearly something wrong. Tell me what it is. You can talk to me." He waited a few moments. Senku was silent, so he continued, "You don't have to be embarrassed. You know better than anyone that emotions are completely natural. Just chemical reactions in the brain, right?"

A few minutes passed, and Senku didn't say anything. Gen was starting to think he wouldn't get anything out of him after all.  _I guess he just needs to be alone. Well, there's no harm in that_ , Gen thought, though he was disappointed. He was about to leave when he heard a sharp gasp from Senku. It was quiet, so much so that for a second Gen thought he had imagined it, until his eyes fell upon the younger boy. Senku still had his head down, but the trembling of his shoulders gave it away. 

_ Is Senku-chan... _

_ crying?! _

Gen froze as a shuddering sob erupted from the boy. He had no clue how to handle this. It was uncharted territory. Everything inside him was screaming _run, run away_ , but he couldn't bring himself to do it. 

Hesitantly, he reached out again, resting a nervous, sweaty hand on Senku's upper back. Gen couldn't tell if the touch was welcome, but the boy's muscles didn't tense up this time. "What's the matter? Tell me the truth," he urged, moving his hand to stroke the boy's back.

Senku mumbled something incoherent, not raising his head.

"I can't hear you," Gen said, voice more tender than he thought he was capable of.

Reluctantly, Senku sat up. His face was blotchy and wet with tears, which he quickly wiped away. "I miss my dad, okay?" he spoke softly, voice cracking on the last word. More tears escaped from his eyes and he covered his face with his hands to hide them.

"I see," Gen said softly, the realization sinking in. This was a side of Senku that he had never seen, that no one in the Kingdom of Science had. Of course, there were people who he missed as well, but they weren't completely gone from this world. If things went according to Senku's plan, Gen's family would eventually be revived. Senku's father wasn't out there waiting for him inside a stone shell, though.

"Why did this happen?" Senku choked out, "Out of seven billion people, he- There were six people in the whole damn world who couldn't be revived, and he had to be one of them!" He slammed a clenched fist down on the window sill, making Gen jump back, startled. "And that record- he didn't even say goodbye. 'You don't need that dramatic father-and-son crap' my _ass_." The sudden burst of anger only lasted a moment, and the boy's shaky knees gave way underneath him, causing him to fall to the floor. He looked so small kneeling there, his whole body trembling. With no manipulation or mentalist tricks whatsoever, Gen watched the usual cold Senku crumble before his eyes.

Overcoming his momentary shock, he crouched beside the weeping boy. This time with no hesitation, he reached for his hand, expecting him to pull away, but he didn't move, didn't even flinch when Gen's fingers wrapped around his.

"Tell me about your father," Gen said, "What was he like?"

"It doesn't matter," Senku said with a sniffle, "He's been gone for thousands of years."

"It matters to you," Gen said, "I know it does. And your memories of him will always mean more than any story about him in the Hundred Tales. Share them with me."

They made eye contact for the first time since Gen had set foot in the observatory. Senku's red eyes were glossy from crying, and dull with fatigue, but Gen could still make out a hint of the fire that ways burned behind them. It never burned out, and it never would, not with passion as great as Senku's fueling it.

"He was a great dad," Senku finally said, so softly it was almost a whisper, "He didn't think so, but he was really amazing. I wouldn't change a thing about the way I was raised. I should have told him that."

"I'm sure he knew how you felt," Gen said sincerely, "Actions speak louder than words, after all. It's a cliche, but it's true." He wasn't used to this type of heartfelt talk, neither of them were, but the words came naturally.

"I hope so," Senku breathed, "He... was the reason I was able to pursue my interest in science."

"Was he a genius like you?"

Senku snorted. "He knew all about space, but that's about it. I'm ten billion times more of a nerd than him."

"I see." _And... that's a good thing?_ Gen thought. He bit back a laugh.

"He would have thought this observatory was awesome. I wish I could show him."

"Really?" Gen asked, "I'm sure any telescope JAXA had was more impressive than this one."

"You made an astronomy telescope in the stone world with no help from any scientist. I think that's pretty damn impressive."

Gen smiled, happy to be praised, as Senku continued on about his father.

"One time he sold his car to buy me all the best tools for Christmas. He told me they were from Santa, but I wasn't stupid. I noticed that the car had disappeared, and I made the connection. I never told him though," Senku snickered.

Gen stared at him with wide eyes. "His _car_? What kind of tools cost that much?"

"A microscope, telescope, all the basics. They were state of the art, though. That type of equipment isn't cheap," Senku replied. Tears welled in his eyes again. "I wish I thanked him. I'm the worst son ever, aren't I?"

"Not even close." Without thinking, Gen ran his thumb over Senku's knuckles, then immediately felt his face heat up. He had completely forgotten that they were still holding hands. He started to pull away, but Senku stopped him, squeezing his hand. Gen's heart began to race.

"You know, I hate to think of how he started a new family after I was petrified. It makes me... jealous, I guess. I was his only family before, and I liked it that way... It's stupid and childish." 

"It's a perfectly normal reaction." 

There was a moment of silence. Suddenly, Senku mumbled, "I wish there had been a side B."

"Hm?"

"The record. They left one side completely blank. He could have used it to leave a message... _just_ for me, you know?"

Gen nodded in understanding. He remembered Byakuya's words. _'Senku, I've always...'_ He never finished the thought, and Senku had laughed it off, but Gen had sensed his disappointment. Everyone in the room had.

"I wanted him to tell me he loved me," Senku continued, "Heh. How cringey is that?"

"Not cringey at all," Gen replied. 

Senku gave a sad smile. "It is. But thanks." He snorted, and added, "Well, I guess I should be glad he didn't embarrass me in front of the entire village."

His tears had begun flowing freely again. "I hate this," he croaked, "and I hate that I'm fucking crying over it, and I _really_ hate that I'm rattling all this off to you."

With his free hand, Gen wiped the salty tears from Senku's cheeks. In doing so, he couldn't help but notice his lips, how perfectly pink and plump they looked, swollen ever so slightly from his tears. His eyes lingered for just a second too long. 

"What are you staring at, mentalist?" Senku asked with a pathetic sniffle. Gen immediately averted his gaze, stomach filling with butterflies.

"Nothing, nothing." There was a long, painfully awkward silence. Gen wanted to jump out the window.

Finally, Senku's spoke. "Do you... ever feel like an outsider in this world? Like you're all alone?"

"Huh?" The question was so unlike Senku, it was startling. "I haven't really thought about it. I've always been one to go off on my own anyway, you know?"

"Heh. Yeah, I guess I do," Senku sighed, hanging his head.

"Is that how you feel?" Gen asked carefully.

A blush crept up Senku's cheeks. "I guess. My dad is gone, and I haven't seen my best friends in almost a year. How could I not?"

"What about the the villagers?"

Senku shrugged. "They're good friends, but a modern dude like me can never fit in with them."

"Weeeell, what about me?" Gen drawled.

Senku looked him over carefully. "I dunno. Do you think we make a good match?" Despite his tears, there was a hint of playfulness in his voice.

Gen smirked, his confidence returning to him all at once. "Well, when it comes to matchmaking, there's only one way to know for sure."

"Wh-" Senku started, but was cut off as Gen pressed his lips onto his. 

_What the fuck._ Senku's eyes were as wide as saucers. His brain was malfunctioning. As Gen pressed his warmth into his lips, it gradually spread throughout his whole body, and he felt like he was melting. When Gen finally pulled away, Senku just sat there, blinking, unable to move.

"What was that?" he breathed.

"What do you think it was, silly?" Gen spoke in his typical, obnoxious singsong voice, "So, what do you think? Are we the perfect pair?"

"You know damn well that wasn't what I meant," Senku said, eyes still wide, "That was my first kiss."

"It was?!" Gen blushed, guilt welling up inside him. He had acted on impulse, only intending to distract the younger boy from his thoughts (and maybe fluster him, just a teensy bit, for his own enjoyment). He never imagined he would be taking something so special from him. He should have known that Senku had never been kissed, it should have been so fucking obvious. "Senku, I'm sorry."

"For what? It was nice."

Oh. Gen's blush deepened, as Senku continued, "I had considered trying it out with someone for experimental purposes, but I didn't think anyone would be willing. I think... I might understand now why humans crave this type of contact." He said it calmly, but he refused to meet the older boy's eyes.

"Is that so?" Gen caressed Senku's face, running his fingertips down his jaw. With two fingers, he pushed the boy's chin up so their eyes could meet. Senku's heart was pounding so hard he worried that Gen could hear it.

Gen leaned in, closing the distance between them a second him. Senku closed his eyes this time, focusing on nothing but the feeling of Gen's lips. After a few seconds, Gen broke the kiss, leaning in instead to whisper into Senku's ear.

"See? You're not alone in this stone world, Senku-chan. I promise."

Senku leaned in to rest his forehead on Gen's shoulder. Gen wrapped his arms around the younger boy's slender body, pulling him into a tight hug. Senku didn't hug back, but didn't object. "Byakuya-chan would be unbelievably proud of you," Gen said softly, "Even if he didn't say it, I know he was."

"Thank you," Senku mumbled into his shoulder, then raised his head to add, "Please don't call him 'Byakuya-chan' ever again." 

Gen laughed out loud at that. "Sorry. I'll try not to."

Senku lowered his head again, closing his tired eyes. "Thank you, Gen," he repeated, "For everything."

Gen pressed a kiss into Senku's temple. "There's nothing to thank me for."

"There is. Living in this world would be ten billion times harder without you."

"Well, without you I would probably be in Tsukasa's empire without a single bottle of cola and dying from polio or something, so the same could be said about you."

Senku snorted. "So we're even."

"We're even," Gen repeated, rubbing Senku's back. He hadn't noticed before, but Senku was gripping the edge of his purple yukata. He smiled softly as he looked out the window above, up at the night sky. They sat there in silence for a few minutes, before Senku spoke up.

"Gen?"

"Yes, dear Senku?"

"Don't tell anyone about this. Please."

Gen smiled. "It'll be our secret."


End file.
